Two-Wheel retro chic

A household name from a past era is preparing for a style renaissance on wheels. Gan Tian tells us more about the new branding and the brains behind the revival.

Its bicycles were a must-have for almost every working family in China, and in its illustrious 70-year production history, the Shanghai Forever Bicycle Company, founded in 1940, must have made more than 100 million bikes. Now, it is bucking the trend and leading the way with a new range of retro chic bikes aimed at luring the younger generation away from the four-wheel evolution - the latest Forever C bicycles with 15 stylish designs. The new bikes have retained the simple structure that made the classic Forever black bikes so popular, but the two-wheel renaissance is bright with non-traditional colors such as yellow, blue and pink.

Part of the attraction: the childhood memories of its eager new consumers.